The Acolyte is a Star Wars show 'with no war in it'

Every Star Wars movie has been some variation on a small band of rebels fighting against evil, imperial overlords. But what if you flipped the script? And what if there was not even a big war being waged upon which to set the story?

That's what showrunner Leslye Headland hopes to accomplish with her upcoming Star Wars series, The Acolyte. Headland joined stars Amandla Stenberg and Lee Jung-jae on EW's Dagobah Dispatch podcast (recorded before the current WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes) to explain what makes their Disney+ streaming series so different from the other franchise offerings.

"The Acolyte stands out because it is the earliest in the Star Wars timeline that we have ever been in live-action," Headland says on the podcast. "We are toward the end of the High Republic, leading into George's prequels, so we are looking at a time period where the Jedi are at the height of their power."

And what that means, according to the showrunner, is that the story we see will not be one featuring massive armies and space battles. "We're looking at a time period where there is peace throughout the galaxy. It was very challenging and interesting to make a Star Wars with no war in it. So the question became, Well, what should the show be about if it's not going to be about galactic conflict?"

That's not the only big contrast between The Acolyte and other Star Wars offerings. "I think that what makes this show different and interesting is that it's from the perspective of the villains of Star Wars," Headland explains. "These are people who are using the Force in their own way, dipping into the darker sides of the Force and are doing it without being sanctioned by the larger institution, which, in this case, is the Jedi."

Instead of the good guys being hopelessly outnumbered ("Never tell me the odds"), on The Acolyte, it is the villains who will be in the minority. "Star Wars is always about some version of the underdog versus the institution," says Headland. "And I just thought it was very interesting to do a show about the bad guys and to set that during that time period made the most sense. So it's kind of almost flipped. We have more Jedi than you've seen in any of the of the Star Wars content, but at the same time, you see more morally ambiguous characters than you've seen in other Star Wars content."

Stenberg — who credits the show with helping usher in "safety for Black nerds" — also latched onto that gray area with their character, who is shrouded in mystery. "It's a really interesting time in the galaxy," says the star. "Because there are no wars, we get to lean into the underdogs and the moral ambiguity of these characters. And so I have the opportunity of playing something that holds a lot of moral and ethical conflict, which I think is my favorite part of Star Wars."

But just because there is no war, it does not mean there will be no battles. And while those battles may take place in a more intimate setting, they will involve elaborate martial arts-themed choreography. "I can say this pretty confidently," declares Headland. "I don't think you're going to see action in other shows the way that you see it utilized in our show."

We can assume Lee Jung-jae will be part of those action sequences, given his role on the show. "I didn't know that I'd be playing a Jedi master," says the Squid Game star through a translator. "And this is a huge opportunity, which I'm still extremely grateful for. And to be playing in a film that I really enjoyed watching is still surreal for me. I can't believe I'm playing a Jedi master and I get to use a lightsaber!"

But for the man castmates call JJ, the show — and the entire franchise — goes much deeper than any fight sequence. "Back in the day, I thought it was just a cool film, full of surprises. Now as an older person, I realize the topics that they talk about are much deeper than what's first perceived. And actually working on the project, I understand more of the themes and the topics that they talk about. And I really get to explore the emotions and express the themes and the topics very well."

Continuse Lee, "On the first day on set, I felt really excited going in, but day by day, as we go deep into the shooting, I have this responsibility that I really, really, really want to do this well. And I focus and concentrate on how I can do this better. So it's not just fun."

Maybe, but it should be fun to watch.

Listen to our full interview with The Acolyte cast and showrunner on EW's Dagobah Dispatch podcast.

Related content:

• Amandla Stenberg on how The Acolyte has made sci-fi safe for Black nerds
• Jude Law and Chris Ford drop Star Wars: Skeleton Crew teases
• Andor stars tease multiple versions of their characters in season 2
• Stellan Skarsgård gave his Andor speech 10 times before he was happy
• Andor star Diego Luna on Cassian's murderous moment
• Diego Luna says Andor will be the end of him playing Cassian
• Diego Luna and Tony Gilroy tease Andor season 2 time jumps and the 'responsibility' of ending Cassian's story